Julian Assange: A timeline of WikiLeaks founder’s legal woes

Seven-year residency in Ecuadorean embassy in London ends with arrest

Julian Assange's seven-year residency in Ecuadorean embassy in London ends with his arrest. Video: New York Times/ Reuters/ WikiLeaks

August 2010

Swedish prosecutors issue an arrest warrant for WikiLeaks co-founder Julian Assange alleging rape and molestation. Assange denies the allegations.

December 2010

Assange is arrested in London and is later granted conditional bail after his supporters pay £240,000 (€280,000) in cash and sureties.

May 2012

The UK's supreme court rules Assange should be extradited to Sweden to face questioning over the allegations.

June 2012

Assange enters the Ecuadorean embassy in London, requesting political asylum. Scotland Yard says he will be subject to arrest for breaching his bail conditions.

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August 2012

Ecuador grants Assange political asylum on the grounds that his human rights may be violated if he is extradited.

August 2015

Swedish prosecutors drop their investigation into allegations of sexual molestation and unlawful coercion, but Assange still faces the more serious accusation of rape.

October 2015

The UK’s Metropolitan Police announces it will end its 24-hour guard outside the Ecuadorean embassy, part of a three-year police operation that is estimated to have cost more than £12 million.

February 2016

A UN panel rules that Assange is being “arbitrarily detained” in the Ecuadorean embassy.

May 2017

Swedish prosecutors drop the rape investigation into Assange.

October 2018

WikiLeaks lawyers say Assange is going to launch legal action against the government of Ecuador, accusing it of violating his “fundamental rights and freedoms.

November 2018

An inadvertent disclosure indicates US prosecutors have prepared charges against Julian Assange, the founder of WikiLeaks.

April 11th, 2019

Julian Assange is arrested by UK police in London after Ecuadorean police withdrew his asylum. – Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2019